Ephesians is divided into 2 parts—the first 3 chapters are doctrinal and the last 3 chapters are practical.
A2 Outline
B1 Doctrinal Chapters 1-3
C1 Thanksgiving for Salvation Chapter 1:1-14
C2 Thanksgiving for Spiritual Growth Chapter 1:15-23
C3 Thanksgiving for Spiritual Life Chapter 2:1-10
C4 Thanksgiving for Unity of Jew and Gentile Chapter 2:11-22
C5 Thanksgiving for Preaching Gospel to Gentiles Chapter 3:1-13
C6 Prayer for the Ephesians Chapter 3:14-21
B2 Practical Chapters 4-6
C1 Encouragement for Spiritual Growth Chapter 4:1-16
C2 Encouragement for Spiritual Life Chapter 4:17-32
C3 Encouragement for Spiritual Lifestyle Chapter 5:1-20
C4 Encouragement for Living as a Godly Family Chapter 5:21-6:4
C5 Encouragement for Living as a Godly Employee Chapter 6:5-9
C6 Encouragement for Living with God’s Armor Chapter 6:10-20
C7 Prayer for the Ephesians Chapter 6:21-24
B1 Doctrinal Chapters 1-3
C1 Thanksgiving for Salvation Chapter 1:1-14
D1 Verses 3-14 is one sentence. God the Father had a plan that He is following. God the Son is the source of the heavenly blessing. There would be no spiritual blessings for believers unless the Jesus came as Messiah to redeem us.
D2 Some of these blessings are:
E1 Every heavenly blessing. Each and every blessing is ours.
F1 Salvation: Romans 1:16 ESV For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
F2 Heavenly citizenship: Philippians 3:20 ESV But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
F3 Fellowship with God, the holy angels, and the believers:1 John 1:3 ESV that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
F4 Many other things as the Fruit of the Spirit, Hope of deliverance, Hope at death, comfort in the Spirit, fulfillment of His promises, etc.
E2 A purpose—to be holy and blameless when we stand in front of God.
E3 Our adoption to be joint heirs with Christ.
E4 The greatness of God’s grace.
E5 Our redemption
F1 Bought back from the market of sin. We are addicted to sin in our natural self. The payment is Jesus’s blood. It was paid to the Father to purchase our salvation in that Jesus paid the penalty we deserved for sinning. He, as High Priest, offered His blood as atonement in the Heavenly Holy of Holies.
G1 Acts 20:2 PickNT So take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has placed you as overseers, to shepherd the congregation of the Lord and God which He purchased with His own blood.
G2 Hebrews 9:13-14 GNB The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a burnt calf are sprinkled on the people who are ritually unclean, and this purifies them by taking away their ritual impurity. 14 Since this is true, how much more is accomplished by the blood of Christ! Through the eternal Spirit he offered himself as a perfect sacrifice to God. His blood will purify our consciences from useless rituals, so that we may serve the living God.
F2 By Jesus’s blood. This is a substitutionary atonement.
G1 1 John 1:7 NIV But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
G2 Revelation 1:5 EMTV and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and who washed us from our sins in His own blood
E6 His decisions are based on love and grace. Our decisions should well include these elements, too.
E7 Knowledge of His will for us. If He is for us, who can be against us?
E8 His plan, done at the correct time, was for all creation to be under the authority of God the Son, Jesus. Isn’t it wonderful that we are part of God’s plan?
E9 An opportunity to praise God and for others to praise God (holy angels, etc.)
E10 The Gospel, especially since it was preached to the Ephesians (and to us who have believed).
E11 The Holy Spirit being the down payment of our future salvation (heaven). Also see 2 Corinthians 1:22 WEB who also sealed us, and gave us the down payment of the Spirit in our hearts.
C2 Thanksgiving for Spiritual Growth Chapter 1:15-23
D1 This portion addresses spiritual growth.
D2 Ephesians 1:17 WEL So that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him,
E1 Paul prays for the believers to be given
F1 The Spirit of Wisdom
G1 The Spirit of Wisdom is mentioned in the Old Testament: Isaiah 11:2 NIV The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD
G2 Wisdom is both a skill (Exodus 36:1) and
H1 an understanding of that which is true or good combined with an ability to make sound judgments. (Source)
H2 1. The right use or exercise of knowledge; the choice of laudable ends, and of the best means to accomplish them. This is wisdom in act, effect, or practice. If wisdom is to be considered as a faculty of the mind, it is the faculty of discerning or judging what is most just, proper and useful, and if it is to be considered as an acquirement, it is the knowledge and use of what is best, most just, most proper, most conducive to prosperity or happiness. Wisdom in the first sense, or practical wisdom, is nearly synonymous with discretion. I differs somewhat from prudence, in this respect; prudence is the exercise of sound judgment in avoiding evils; wisdom is the exercise of sound judgment either in avoiding evils or attempting good. Prudence then is a species, of which wisdom is the genus. (Source—Webster’s Dictionary 1828)
F2 Revelation in the knowledge of Him. The only 100% truth is the Word of God. This is both the Scriptures and the Lord Jesus. We grow in wisdom by reading, studying, and applying the truths of Scriptures. Since God is omniscient and omnisapient, He can also communicate perfectly clear. We can have confidence to interpret the Bible in its plain, normal sense.
F3 God wants us to know and understand the hope we have, the greatness of our eternal inheritance, and the greatness of His power.
F4 The greatness of His power is described as
G1 A power and authority greater than any spirit, any human, or any force.
G2 A name associated with power that is greater than anything, thus more honorable than any other name even known.
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